


Accepting Help

by draconicshinx



Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Gen, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Sickfic, sorta... sick because it's too damn cold in Ishgard
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-21
Updated: 2020-09-21
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:22:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,600
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26586577
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/draconicshinx/pseuds/draconicshinx
Summary: It's the coldest night in Ishgard since the Calamity, and Sid isn't about to let Rielle get hypothermia.Maybe he should have worried about himself, though.
Relationships: Rielle de Caulignont & Sidurgu Orl
Comments: 5
Kudos: 34





	Accepting Help

**Author's Note:**

> wol definitely was like "look sid if you guys need help you can go to the fortemps"
> 
> to which sid was immediately like "lmao fuck no" because he's him
> 
> but I want them to meet anyway so
> 
> (Tamulen Kharis is my xaela au ra and DRK main wol. she's not in this one but she's mentioned a lot)

Winters have been getting worse in Ishgard. Rielle is too young to notice or remember life before the Calamity, but Sidurgu isn't. At first, winters are only a little colder than they were before, but that's been changing as years pass. It's happening rapidly, too, and the people bearing the worst of it are the poor, naturally.

The astrologians predict the drastic drop in temperature days before it hits, and it's luck that Sidurgu hears about it beforehand. Still, knowing and experiencing are two different things. They can't afford a room with a fireplace, so he lights all the candles they have. He piles most of the blankets and their extra clothes on Rielle's bed, tucking her in as he does and damn determined to make sure she's warm.

"Sid," she protests, her tone that quiet whine she always gets when she's chiding him, "you need to make sure you're warm too."

He grunts in annoyance. "I'm fine, I can deal with a bit of cold. You're smaller and need more covering."

She makes a face (and he will NOT admit it's cute), but she snuggles down into the blankets and soon falls asleep.

Sleep is more elusive for Sidurgu. He saved two blankets for himself, but he can still feel the cold seeping in as the night wears on. It's not uncommon for him to get little sleep at night, but this is different. He can't sleep because he can't stop shivering.

Eventually, his body gets used to it. Even the haunted thoughts that usually plague him at night slow, and, exhausted, he's able to drift off to sleep.

\---

It's the coldest night in recent history, and Edmont can't sleep.

It's maddening, this insomnia, but it's plagued him for months now. Ever since Haurchefant's passing, it has seemed to come and go by it's own pleasing, leaving Edmont himself little to do but find preoccupation. It's one of many reasons he began his account of the events of the Warrior of Light's adventures through Ishgard to eventually become their savior and the bringer of peace. Not that she didn't have help, of course, but without her… Ishgard would have perished.

He owes a great many things to the Warrior of Light. The whole country does. Seven hells, the whole of Eorzea does--and yet, she asks for so little in return. Edmont can but do what little she allows to pay his great debt.

His musings are cut short by a rapid, urgent knock at his door. Edmont stands immediately, mind racing. Only some misfortunate occurrence would bring his servants to knock at this time of night.

"Come in," he says quickly. The maid who opens the door, still in a long nightgown and shawl, greets him with wide, worried eyes.

"My lord," she says quickly, "there's a little elezen girl here to see you. None of us know her, but she was half froze out there, so we brought her in and gave her some tea. She said her name was Rielle, and that Lady Kharis told her to come here if she ever needed help."

Edmont crosses the room as soon as he hears the girl's name. "Yes, Lady Kharis has spoken of her to me before. Was there another with her? An au ra man with black horns?"

The maid shakes her head. "No, my lord. She was alone, and out in this cold too."

That is worrying. Though he's never met the two personally, Tamulen has told him about the pair of Rielle and Sidurgu. She's said little concrete about them, only that they are friends of hers in bad circumstances but that Sidurgu is too proud to seek help but in the direst of need. She asked that Edmont take care of them, should they come to his door and she isn't there to provide aid.

It seems that now at least one of them has come calling.

"Wake the cooks if they aren't already up," Edmont says. "Bid them prepare a meal--something filling and warm. In the meantime, I will go to her."

The maid curtseys before scurrying away, and Edmont makes his way to the salon where Rielle is waiting.

\---

At least it isn't cold here. There's a fire burning brightly in the hearth, stoked back to life by the manservant who let Rielle into the Fortemps manor. The chair she sits in is soft and plush, but it's so fancy that she can't relax for fear of ruining it. As if she could relax anyway. The sight of Sidurgu laying in his bed, unresponsive and trembling--

She tightens her grip on the cup of tea. She's doing everything she can. She piled blankets on him, used her magic to put a bit more color back in his cheeks. He'll be fine. She just has to wait for the former count to get here, to hope Tamulen was right that he would help her.

At that moment, the door deeper into the manor bursts open. The older man who walks through looks every inch a noble. His jacket looks expensive--fur lined, dark red, and emblazoned with the red unicorn that is the symbol of house Fortemps. His height and dark mustache gives him a severe look that makes Rielle's heart leap into her throat. As he walks closer, going slowly due to his cane and slight limp, his expression softens.

"You are Rielle, I presume?" When she nods, words caught in her throat, he continues. "You match the description Lady Kharis gave me as well. I am Edmont de Fortemps, former count, though I have since passed that status on to my son."

"L-Lady Kharis?" Rielle asks, her mind drawing a blank for a moment, before finally remembering the first time Tamulen introduced herself to them. She relaxes then. "Oh, you mean Tamulen. Yes, um, sh-she said if anything bad happens, we-we can come here for help. Sid scoffed, but--"

"But now you need help," Edmont says, nodding. "I owe Lady Kharis a great deal for her deeds, as does all of Ishgard. It was by her sword that we found peace with the Dravanians. It is an easy task to me to help those she holds dear."

Rielle can't help it. She bursts into tears at his words, so much worry and guilt and raw fear in her heart that it comes out all at once. She wants Tamulen here, she wants Sid, but at least this man will help.

"Please," she manages through sobs. "It's Sid. When I woke up, he wasn't moving, and it was so cold. He didn’t save himself enough blankets, he put them all on me. I-I tried to heal him, but it only worked a little!"

Edmont nods. "It will be okay, dear Rielle. We'll bring him back. I'll have my own chiurgens tend to him. He'll be fine."

More hot tears pour down her face, obscuring her vision. She's not sure if they're from relief or desperate worry that they're still too late.

\---

Sidurgu wakes slowly, feeling distinctly like he's slept in far too long. The bright sunlight shining in confirms his suspicions--

Until he realizes the light is coming from the wrong side of the room.

His eyes snap open and he tries to quickly sit upright, but something heavy on his chest impedes him. It takes a moment for his eyes to fully focus, but when he sees who it is, his panic softens.

Rielle is draped over him, fast asleep. Half of her is still in a chair, and that can't be comfortable or good for her posture. He gently shakes her awake.

"Hey, kid. You passed out on top of me."

Her eyes blink awake, but when they focus on him, they immediately fill with tears. Before he can ask what's wrong, she launches herself at him, arms wrapping around his neck in the fiercest hug she's ever given him.

"Hey, hey, watch the horns!" he says. She just lets out a sob. Realizing she isn't going to be able to say much for a few moments, he settles for awkwardly patting her back and looking around the room.

It's definitely not their inn room at the Forgotten Knight. It's twice the size, for one thing, and the furniture (a large desk and chair, a sitting area, what appears to be some sort of makeup cabinet with a mirror and an enormous wardrobe with a changing curtain) are obviously expensive, sturdy, and beautifully crafted. The floor is mostly covered with a large, plush carpet, and the bed… is the softest thing he's ever slept on. His scales don't even catch on the sheets.

All in all, this place isn't an inn. The only place he could find a setup like this is in the home of the richest Ishgardians, if not one of the noble houses themselves. It makes his skin crawl to think of it--but, of course, his sword is nowhere in sight.

By this time, Rielle is finally calming down.

“Sid, I was so scared…” she manages to say, which makes his hair stand on end. Where the hell are they?

“Rielle, where--”

“Rise and shine!” an unfamiliar voice shouts as the door slams open. In the doorway is a young elezen man, who, by his clothes, is definitely rich. He’s waving both arms wide and has an almost childish grin. He is not, Sidurgu notes, armed, which is reassuring. He’s pretty sure he can take an unarmed nobleling.

“My lord, they’ve both gone through a terrible time, I don’t think the former count intended for us to--” An elezen boy in the clothes of a page (albeit very well cared for clothes, they look practically brand new) pokes his head in past the noble man, but the noble cuts him off.

“Ah, Honoroit, it’s no harm done! See, they’re both already awake!” The noble gestures to them, as if to prove his point.

Sidurgu glances to Rielle. Her eyes have widened slightly, and her arms tighten a little more around him. Almost imperceptible, but he knows her well enough to see that whoever these people are, she doesn’t know them.

“Who are you?” he barks gruffly. “Where are we?”

“Even the dragon man is awake!” the noble says brightly, though there’s a tremor in his voice that tells him the young man is at least trying to hide that he’s scared of him. “My good man, you are lucky enough to be staying in the Fortemps house while you rest up from that scare you gave everyone, your little charge especially! As for me, I am Emmanellain de Fortemps, youngest brother of Count Artoirel de Fortemps. You currently reside in my own personal chambers, which I insisted upon, since you are, after all, close friends of my comrade Lady Tamulen Kharis--”

“My lord,” the page boy says, sounding exasperated, “Lord Edmont told us they were here when we arrived this morning.”

Emmanellain’s words stutter to a stop at his own man calling his bluff. For a moment, Sidurgu tenses, half expecting him to lay into the page for speaking out of turn, but instead, Emmanellain seems to brush off the comment with a flourish. “Ah, well, if Father HAD spoken to me about it first, I would have insisted the poor man be put in my room. After all, it is the best room in the manor!” He gestures to the page boy. “And this is Honoroit, my ever loyal servant.”

Honoroit actually bows to them, which is surprising to Sidurgu, before speaking. “I promise you my Lord is a good man, he simply… embellishes things a bit.”

Emmanellain, to his credit, does little more than shrug. Sidurgu had never heard of a noble who would let a servant speak out of turn, let alone criticize him, without harsh punishment. This young man might be an idiot, but he is, at very least, a kind idiot. It doesn’t surprise him that much that he might consider Tamulen a “comrade”, whatever their actual relationship might be (babysitter, it seems more like).

To his surprise, Rielle releases her grip on him and slides off the bed to stand near it. Then, to his equal surprise, she bows to the two of them.

“Thank you for giving Sid your room to rest and recover in,” she says. “I really appreciate it with all my heart.”

Emmanellain practically preens at the praise. “Any time, old girl, any time! A friend of Tamulen’s is a friend of ours, of course, and it would be remiss of my family to deny succor to anyone she’s asked us to help!”

Sidurgu looks from one to the other, gradually realizing that something happened to land him in this bed that he doesn’t remember.

“What exactly happened to me?” he asks.

“Very nearly froze to death, or so I’ve heard,” Emmanellain says, with all the gravity he’d expect from him given his personality so far (exactly none). “Lady Rielle here came running to my father in the middle of that horridly cold night a few days ago. My father, being the kind man he is, sent our personal chiurgens to stabilize you and bring you back here, where you’ve stayed until now.”

A few nights ago?! He looks to Rielle for confirmation, and she just nods solemnly. Gods, he’s been out for days?! And what’s more, he put Rielle in danger to do it!

He does remember now, that Tamulen told them if they ever need help, they should go to the Fortemps family. He’d scoffed then, unwilling to believe a noble house would do anything for anyone who wasn’t already a hero of Ishgard, but Rielle had remembered and done it. Thank the gods these people seem to actually have a damn heart, even if they’re eccentric. Not that he can say much about that…

Unable to think of anything else to say, Sidurgu bows his head. “Then, in that case… I owe your father my life, and the life of my charge. I will repay you, I promise that.” Seemingly kind or not, he’s not going to have a debt like that hanging over him.

“Nonsense!” Emmanellain says with a laugh. “Do you have any idea how much Tamulen has done for my family? Even for me, personally? She’s saved my life, I’ll have you know--on more than one occasion! If anything, this is but a drop of repayment for her. You don’t owe us anything.” The speech actually sounds more genuine than anything Emmanellain has said so far. His smile looks real, too, less pasted on, and even Honoroit is grinning.

Sidurgu huffs. “Still. I mean… I’m not bad in a fight. If you ever need me, you can call on me. I’m no Tamulen, but I can get the job done.”

“There is not another person in the world like Tamulen, old boy,” Emmanellain says. “But, now that you mention it… you see, I am the commander of Dragon’s Head, and--”

“My lord, we have plenty of knights at the stronghold, especially since the dragon threat has died down thanks to the peace talks,” Honoroit cuts in.

Emmanellain frowns a little. “But you never know when a dark knight in my pocket might come in handy!”

Sidurgu flops back in bed. What has he gotten himself into this time? He glances up at Rielle, who’s smiling at him brightly, obviously hiding a laugh. He can’t help it--he gives her a tiny grin back, and her face positively lights up.

Well, maybe there are worse fates than his.


End file.
